The British were commanded by Colonel Banastre Tarleton and the Colonial forces were commanded by Brigadier-General Daniel Morgan. The Americans had around 1,000 men and the British around 1,100. General Daniel Morgan had picked an unpromising ground, a meadow used to winter cattle, which seemed to give Tarleton's cavalry the opportunity to outrun his force. It also had the Broad River, five miles to the north, would stop any American from retreating. Positioning his relatively untrained militia in the first two out of three lines, he ordered them to shoot at British officersthree times before withdrawing to the rear. This ensured that by the time the British reached his third line, made up of Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware Continentals, the enemy would be disorganized and leaderless. Lastly, behind a small ridge to his rear, Morgan stationed 100 horsemen.
As Tarleton attacked, everything seemed to go as he expected. But when his troops encountered the third line, Morgan's horsemen plowed into their right while the militia struck to their left. Tarleton's force started to seperate right away; Tarleton fled to avoid capture, therefore meaning he retreated. The British lost 39 officers, 60 soldiers killed, and 829 were captured. 12 Americans were killed and 60 wounded. The Americans captured the British baggage and the colors of the 7th Foot. Together, King's Mountainand Cowpens stripped the British army in the South of its most mobile troops, and that severely diminished its ability to defeat the Americans anymore in the South. Which forced the British Army to go join their northern campaigns.
Painting of the British Retreating
1. What were the names of the Colonels fighting in the battle?
2. Where was the battle taken place?
3. What happened to the British Army in the end?
The Battle of Cowpens took place on January 17, 1781 on a frontier in South Carolina. It was a very short battle that did not involve many soldiers from either side. However, the American Continental Army victory at Cowpens began the chain of events that lead to independence at Yorktown. The battle was part of the larger southern campaigns that the British fought their way throughout 1780 and 1781. Most of the campaign was characterized by British dominance. The Battle of the Cowpens was the second disaster which occurred to the British Army. Which made the year 1780 as one of the darker years of the American Revolution.
The British were commanded by Colonel Banastre Tarleton and the Colonial forces were commanded by Brigadier-General Daniel Morgan. The Americans had around 1,000 men and the British around 1,100. General Daniel Morgan had picked an unpromising ground, a meadow used to winter cattle, which seemed to give Tarleton's cavalry the opportunity to outrun his force. It also had the Broad River, five miles to the north, would stop any American from retreating. Positioning his relatively untrained militia in the first two out of three lines, he ordered them to shoot at British officersthree times before withdrawing to the rear. This ensured that by the time the British reached his third line, made up of Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware Continentals, the enemy would be disorganized and leaderless. Lastly, behind a small ridge to his rear, Morgan stationed 100 horsemen.
As Tarleton attacked, everything seemed to go as he expected. But when his troops encountered the third line, Morgan's horsemen plowed into their right while the militia struck to their left. Tarleton's force started to seperate right away; Tarleton fled to avoid capture, therefore meaning he retreated. The British lost 39 officers, 60 soldiers killed, and 829 were captured. 12 Americans were killed and 60 wounded. The Americans captured the British baggage and the colors of the 7th Foot. Together, King's Mountainand Cowpens stripped the British army in the South of its most mobile troops, and that severely diminished its ability to defeat the Americans anymore in the South. Which forced the British Army to go join their northern campaigns.
1. What were the names of the Colonels fighting in the battle?
2. Where was the battle taken place?
3. What happened to the British Army in the end?